Compact discs were originally designed as a storage and reproduction medium for digitalized music programs. CD-ROMs, on the other hand, are utilized for storing text and graphics, as well as for audio information. Discs created for these purposes have a plastic-coated, aluminized reflective surface containing digitalized information on one side thereof.
In order to access the program encoded upon, for example, an audio CD, an infrared beam from a semiconductor laser is focused upon the information-bearing surface through a series of lenses and prisms. The laser light which strikes the surface is then converted into a digital electronic signal. The resultant signal is then decoded and fed through an electronic filter, converting it from digital form into an analog signal suitable for any hi-fi amplifier.
A protective plastic coating on the surface of information-bearing discs of the type described herein prevents dust or debris from reaching the underlying reflective metal surface. Scratches or blemishes in the protective coating can thus interfere with the laser light beam.
One common cause of such damaging scratches is the removal or insertion of such information-bearing disc devices from or into, respectively, a molded plastic storage case of the type commonly used to hold such discs. Presently, the most common type of container utilized for this purpose is the well known "jewel box" case (hereinafter referred to simply as the "jewel box"), so-called due to the hinged manner in which it is opened. The jewel box is described, for example, in International Publication No. WO 86/07182. However, the jewel box is difficult to manipulate and contains many sharp edges which can scratch or gouge the information-bearing surface of the disc if a disc is carelessly handled, resulting in a loss of some or all of the information contained thereon.
Improved storage containers capable of enhanced protection of the outer, information-bearing surface on such disc devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,883, 4,881,640 and 4,899,875 to Herr et al. These references describe plastic storage containers of a type comprising a slidable drawer member dimensioned and configured to receive and store information-bearing discs within an outer shell in a manner that significantly diminishes the chance of scraping or otherwise damaging the information-bearing surfaces of the disc.
Further to the above, however, a booklet containing advertising and/or informational matter concerning the contents of the disc, sometimes including photographs and/or drawings, is typically included in the storage container with the disc. This material, referred to herein as "printed matter"0 may, for example, describe or illustrate the musical or informational contents encoded upon the disc, provide song titles or information about the recording artist, set forth the lyrics of the songs recorded thereon, or provide instructions on how to access the material upon, e.g., a CD-ROM.
The prior art jewel box typically stores such booklets adjacent the inner front panel of the container where they are held in place by several positioning tabs molded integrally upon the inner surface of the front panel. When the jewel box is opened to retrieve the disc, the booklet thus remains secured against the inner surface of the front panel by the tabs. To retrieve the booklet, the user must slide or bend the printed matter out from under the tabs. This operation tends to be rather awkward and often causes damage, i.e., bending, tearing, etc., to the booklet. The storage containers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,883, 4,881,640 and 4,899,875, while providing, as discussed above, enhanced protection against damage to the information-bearing surface of the disc, also provide a somewhat more "user friendly" means for accessing the printed matter, but these containers do not, however, entirely resolve the difficulties involved in obtaining access to the printed matter stored within the housing.
Another important consideration with regard to the packaging for information-bearing discs of the type described herein concerns "pirating" of the copyrighted material encoded onto the disc. This activity is commonly engaged in by consumers who, after purchase, open the package and copy the recorded material from the disc to a different medium, e.g., a cassette. Such individuals thereafter return the devices to the retailer for a refund of the purchase price claiming the disc is a duplicate of one they already own or is undesirable for some other reason.
To prevent such pirating, while still permitting the public to rightfully return undesired discs, many wholesalers utilizing the jewel box presently apply so-called "tamper seals", around the outer surfaces of the container. One commonly used tamper seal is a mylar strip which wraps around the edges of the container that are opened to access the disc. The strip is therefore typically broken or removed in order to access the disc. The idea is that retailers can accept returned discs in which the seal has not been broken or removed in the belief that the material was not copied. Such seals can be bypassed, however, by prying open the hinged side of the jewel box, thus permitting access to the disc contained therein without damaging or removing the seal. In addition, these strips are expensive in terms of the material and labor required to apply them to the container. Further, they are difficult to remove and thus provide an annoying obstacle to the average consumer who seeks access to the package contents for solely legitimate purposes.